Like U Like

Last updated
"Like U Like"
Aggro-santos-like-u-like-official-single-cover.jpg
Single by Aggro Santos featuring Kimberley Walsh
from the album AggroSantos.com
ReleasedJanuary 17, 2011 (2011-01-17)
Genre
Length3:26
Label Mercury, Future Records
Songwriter(s) Steve Mac, Wayne Hector, Aggro Santos
Producer(s) Steve Mac
Aggro Santos singles chronology
"Saint or Sinner"
(2010)
"Like U Like"
(2011)
Kimberley Walsh singles chronology
"Like U Like"
(2011)
"One Vision"
(2012)

"Like U Like" is a song by the British recording artist Aggro Santos featuring the Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh. The song was written by Steve Mac, Wayne Hector, and Aggro Santos and produced by Mac for his first album, AggroSantos.com (2011). After Santos mentioned to Gary Barlow that he was interested in making a duet with Walsh, Barlow contacted her and arranged their duet. Originally, Walsh's part was sung by a male. The song uses synthesiser noises while Walsh's voice was described by reviewers as sultry and monotone.

Contents

The song received mixed reviews from critics complimenting the synthesiser noises but criticising Walsh's contribution to the song. An accompanying music video, directed by the Lennox Brothers, shows Santos trying to win Walsh's affections during speed dating. It was noted that Walsh looked like her bandmate Cheryl Cole. The single entered at number eight and thirteen on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart, respectively.

Background and composition

In an interview with MTV United Kingdom, Santos said that Walsh replaced a male vocalist on the song. "I think it suits a girl's vocal more. It's more of a softer song and Kimberley did a great job on the vocals." [1] He also said that Gary Barlow had arranged the duet. "I was a big fan of Girls Aloud for years and I mentioned that to Gary Barlow who is a friend of Kim's. I said I would be up for working with her. He spoke to her and she was up for it, so we made 'Like U Like'." [1]

"Like U Like" is a rap-electro song which uses "grinding synths", "techno bleeps" and "catchy hand-claps" with Walsh providing a sultry voice. [2] The song was written by Mac, Hector and Santos. Santos said that "Like U Like" "[is] more pop, bubbly and commercial than my last track, 'Saint or Sinner'". [3]

Critical reception

"Like U Like" received mixed reviews from critics. Robert Copsey from Digital Spy wrote, "[Kimberley Walsh's] sultry tones garnishing 'Like U Like's spicy mix of grinding synths, techno bleeps and catchy hand-claps in oh-so tasty fashion." [2] Leanne Rain of Hive Magazine praised the song. "[The] single has all the ingredients of a pop classic, and possesses one of the biggest pop hooks of the year." [4] Other critics criticised Walsh's appearance. Jon O'Brien from AllMusic said, "[the song] won't exactly threaten Cheryl Cole's status as the band's chief success." He also described "Like U Like" as a "tuneless dirge". [5] Rach Read from Teentoday also commented on Walsh's appearance. "Like U Like is a tacky trashtastic 'club banger' that would have completely slipped under our radar [if it] had it not featured Girls Aloud's most shapely member [...] That's in addition to looking extremely lovely, working some super-sexy moves and contributing some not terribly good vocals." [6] Morwenna Ferrier from The Guardian wrote that Santos raps like he has chips stuffed in his cheeks. [7]

Music video

Walsh and Santos during their speed dating Like U Like1.jpg
Walsh and Santos during their speed dating

The music video for "Like U Like" was directed by the Lennox Brothers. [8] The video has Santos adopting a variety of different looks to try to win the affections of Walsh during speed dating. [9]

Reception

Rach Read from Teentoday described the speed dating as the "worst speed-dating session in the world" because "every other participant seems to be Aggro himself. Get your money back, love!" [6] A reviewer from Sugar said that he loved the video particularly commenting on Kimberley's dance moves. [10]

Formats and track listings

Digital download [11]

  1. "Like U Like" (featuring Kimberley Walsh) - 3:25

Like U Like - EP [12]

  1. "Like U Like" (featuring Kimberley Walsh) - 3:25
  2. "Like U Like" (Digital Dog Remix) - 6:09
  3. "Like U Like" (Instrumental) - 3:10
  4. Album Preview Mix - 5:23

Charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [13] 13
Scotland (OCC) [14] 7
UK Singles (OCC) [15] 8

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United KingdomJanuary 14, 2011 Digital download [11] Mercury Records
January 16, 2011 Extended play [12]
Ireland [16] Digital download Universal Music

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girls Aloud</span> British girl group

Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. In 2012, the group was named as the United Kingdom's biggest selling girl group of the 21st century so far, with over 4.3 million singles sales and 4 million albums sold in the UK. During their two decades together, the group achieved a string of twenty top ten singles on the UK singles chart, including four number ones. They also achieved seven certified albums, two of which debut at number one. They have been nominated for five Brit Awards, winning the 2009 Best Single for "The Promise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow</span> British musician and songwriter (born 1971)

Gary Barlow is an English songwriter, singer, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadine Coyle</span> Irish singer

Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle is an Irish singer. In 2002, she was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley Walsh</span> English singer, television personality and actress (born 1981)

Kimberley Jane Scott is an English singer, television personality and actress. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The series announced that Walsh had won a place as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud. The group achieved large success, having twenty consecutive top ten singles in the UK, six studio albums have all been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), two of which went to number one in the UK, and accumulating a total of five BRIT Award nominations. In 2009, Girls Aloud won "Best Single" with their song "The Promise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Roberts</span> British singer-songwriter (born 1985)

Nicola Maria Roberts is an English singer and songwriter. In 2002, Roberts was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Show (Girls Aloud song)</span> 2004 single by Girls Aloud

"The Show" is a song recorded by British girl group Girls Aloud for their second studio album, What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004). It was released by Polydor Records on 28 June 2004, as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Lisa Cowling, Jon Shave, and Tim Powell. The synth rhythm, composed by Shave, represents a change in musical direction from the band's previous releases. "The Show" is an uptempo dance-pop, electropop and Eurodance song with elements of the 1990 rave records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)</span> 2004 single by Girls Aloud

"Love Machine" is a song recorded by British girl group Girls Aloud from their second studio album, What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004). It was released by Polydor Records on 13 September 2004, as the second single from the album. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, Lisa Cowling, Myra Boyle, and Shawn Lee. The instrumentation was inspired by The Smiths, and created by Powell and Coler. "Love Machine" is an uptempo pop rock song with elements of 1980s synthpop. The single was received favourably by contemporary music critics, who deemed it a joyful track that was different from the single releases by other artists at the time. According to research carried out for Nokia in 2006, "Love Machine" is the second "most exhilarating" song ever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl (singer)</span> English singer and television personality (born 1983)

Cheryl Ann Tweedy is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Named the United Kingdom's best-selling girl group of the 21st century in 2012, Girls Aloud amassed a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum-selling studio albums, and five Brit Award nominations, winning Best Single for "The Promise" in 2009. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2013, before reuniting for a tour in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Day I'll Fly Away</span> 1980 single by Randy Crawford

"One Day I'll Fly Away" is a song performed by American R&B and jazz singer Randy Crawford, from her fourth studio album, Now We May Begin (1980). The song was written by Joe Sample and Will Jennings and produced by Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper. It received generally favorable reviews from music critics. The song was a commercial success in the international market at the time, reaching number one in Belgium (Flanders) and Netherlands, while peaking at number two in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Speak French</span> 2008 single by Girls Aloud

"Can't Speak French" is a song performed by British-Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fourth studio album and serving as the third and final single from the album Tangled Up (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as "a swirling, slower cut with great jazzy guitar changes," Higgins said it was "the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." Upon its release in March 2008, "Can't Speak French" charted within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, continuing their five-year streak of top ten hits.

<i>Out of Control</i> (Girls Aloud album) 2008 studio album by Girls Aloud

Out of Control is the fifth studio album by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, released on 31 October 2008 in Ireland and on 3 November 2008 in the UK by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, it was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania. Out of Control builds on the sound of Girls Aloud's previous albums and represents a move into the mainstream for the group.

<i>Popstars: The Rivals</i> Spin-off

Popstars: The Rivals is a British television talent show series that was broadcast on ITV in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international Popstars franchise. Unlike Popstars, which resulted in the formation of one winning group, Hear'Say, Popstars: The Rivals created two rival groups, Girls Aloud and One True Voice, who competed against each other for the Christmas number one spot on the UK Singles Chart. Girls Aloud won and would go on to achieve twenty consecutive top ten hits, four number ones and six top ten albums, two of which reached number one and from that, group member Cheryl would achieve five number-one singles and two number one albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candy (Aggro Santos song)</span> 2010 single by Aggro Santos

"Candy" is the debut single by Brazilian-born British-based rapper Aggro Santos. The song was produced by Quiz & Larossi and co-written by Aggro Santos, Josef Larossi, Andreas Romdhane, Viktoria Hansen, while also featuring American singer Kimberly Wyatt of The Pussycat Dolls. It was released on 2 May 2010 as the lead single from Santos' debut studio album AggroSantos.com.

Yuri "Aggro" Santos is a Brazilian-born British rapper.

<i>AggroSantos.com</i> 2011 studio album by Aggro Santos

AggroSantos.com is the debut studio album by English rapper Aggro Santos. It was released on 31 January 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelia Lily</span> English singer and television personality

Amelia Lily Oliver is an English singer and television personality. In 2011, she became a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor, where she finished in third place. In 2017, she finished as runner-up on the twentieth series of Celebrity Big Brother. In 2020, she began appearing in the MTV reality series Geordie Shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo-Yo (Nicola Roberts song)</span> 2012 single by Nicola Roberts

"Yo-Yo" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts, released as the third and final single from Roberts' debut solo album Cinderella's Eyes on 6 January 2012. Originally, "Yo-Yo" was set to be Roberts' debut single, but "Beat of My Drum" was selected in its place. "Beat of My Drum" and "Lucky Day", Roberts' previous singles, garnered positive comments from critics, but failed to impact commercially. "Yo-Yo" was written by Roberts, Maya Von Doll and Dimitri Tikovoi while it was produced by latter, and was the first song to be composed by the group. Roberts also claimed the track had defined her musical style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DNA (Little Mix song)</span> 2012 single by Little Mix

"DNA" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 9 November 2012, through Syco Music, as the second single from their debut studio album of the same name (2012). It was written by the group members, along with production team TMS and songwriter Iain James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something New (Girls Aloud song)</span> 2012 single by Girls Aloud

"Something New" is a song recorded by British girl group Girls Aloud from their second compilation album, Ten (2012). It was released by Polydor Records on 16 November 2012, as the first single from the album and the official single for Children in Need 2012. In February 2009, the group signed a new record deal with Fascination Records that would see the group release another three studio albums; however, they announced that they were taking a hiatus to pursue solo projects. In April 2012, bandmate Cheryl revealed the girls had been in talks to regroup for the group's tenth anniversary later that year. In October 2012, a countdown was activated on Girls Aloud's official website, which would last until 19 October 2012, when "Something New" would be premiered on radio. However the date was brought forward to 16 October 2012 following an early online leak of the track.

<i>Centre Stage</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Kimberley Walsh

Centre Stage is the debut studio album from British pop singer Kimberley Walsh, released on 4 February 2013 through Decca Records. The album is Walsh's first solo music release outside of British girl group Girls Aloud after working in acting, television presenting, and theatre. It consists of covers of songs from popular musical theatre and musical films, a passion which Walsh has wished to pursue since she was just three years old, as well as two brand new songs. Centre Stage also features duets with fellow performers Louise Dearman and Ronan Keating.

References

  1. 1 2 Dorken, Joanne (1 January 2011). "Aggro Santos: Gary Barlow Sorted Kimberley Duet". MTV UK . Archived from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 Copsey, Robert (11 January 2011). "Music - Singles Review - Aggro Santos ft. Kimberley Walsh: 'Like U Like'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  3. Copsey, Robert (13 January 2011). "Music - Singles Interview - Aggro Santos". Digital Spy . Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  4. Raine, Leanne (22 November 2010). "Music Video: Like U Like by Aggro Santos feat. Kimberley Walsh". Hive Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  5. O'Brien, Jon (28 July 2010). "Aggro Santos.com - Aggro Santos". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  6. 1 2 Read, Rach (20 November 2010). "Aggro Santos featuring Kimberley Walsh – Like You Like video: shit or hit?". Teentoday. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  7. Ferrier, Morwenna (15 January 2011). "This week's new singles". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  8. "Aggro Santos' Like U Like featuring Kimberley Walsh by Lennox Brothers". Promonews. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  9. "Aggro Santos - Like U Like". 4Music . 23 November 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  10. "Kimberley Walsh goes speed dating in new video". Sugar . 27 November 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Like U Like: Kimberley Walsh: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Like U Like - EP by Aggro Santos & Kimberley Walsh". iTunes Store. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Like U Like". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. "Kimberley Walsh / Aggro Santos - Like U Like MP3 Downloads - 7digital". Ie.7digital.com. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.